Yahoo Security Breach is Another Reminder of Why Password Protection is Critical to Your Business

Yahoo’s massive account breach should convince us all to listen to all that advice about protecting passwords.

Update, December 15, 2016 | Yahoo has updated the information related to this security breach. They are now (as of 12.15.2016) saying that as many as one billion accounts were hacked.

We’ll keep reminding you of the importance of password management as long as cybercriminals and “state-sponsored actors” keep breaking into account information like the 500 million hacked accounts revealed by Yahoo last week. This post is a part of our Guide to Small Business Computer and Tech Security so look at the list above for information about measures you can take to make your passwords more secure.

Criminal hackers often use situations like this to send out email that looks like it is coming from the affected company and to seek information like that was hacked. This is an example of phishing, the attempt to obtain information like usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy source in an email.

What does Yahoo recommend?

Change your password
Change your security questions and answers
Review your account for suspicious activity
Be cautious of any unsolicited communications that ask for personal information
Do not click on links
Do not download attachments from suspicious emails